What Should Bruins Do With 25th-Overall Pick? | The Skate Pod, Ep. 327

What Should Bruins Do With 25th-Overall Pick? | The Skate Pod, Ep. 327

welcome into episode 327 of the skate podcast I am Brian D Fel joined by Bridget pru Scott mcclaflin and we are also joined today by Chris Peters Chris is the senior content creator for Flo hockey he’s an NHL draft and Prospect analyst Chris thank you for coming on with us we talked to you a few years ago um a lot has changed since then a lot of uh prospects we talked about back then that have now gone on to become nhlers and and um it’s cyclical and here we go again I know you have a busy week with the draft and you’re in Vegas so thanks for taking the time to join us yeah my my pleasure I mean hey you know the Bruins are back in the first round so you know I mean I guess I guess all of a sudden I become a little bit more relevant in Boston which I which I’m not not not not too uh worried about that’s great I’m I’m glad to hear it yeah I was gonna say it’s great to have a a reason to have Chris back on because uh Bruins have not been in the first round in a couple years there’s been diminished interest in the draft because of that and obviously they haven’t had a ton of top prospects because of that so A Chance potentially to get one at 25 if they hold on to this pick um which I think they’re going to but but we’ll see obviously they could trade it uh Chris I actually want to start with just sort of bigger pitcher picking at 25 is this is that a good spot to be is this like stronger than usual weaker than usual just sort of what’s what’s your feel for how this draft board looks yeah you know I I think most drafts are are similar in this range of the draft I think that you’re getting the same kind of players where they’re not guaranteed top four top six guys but they have some traits that are project to be closer to the top of the lineup and so I think when you’re drafting in the mid 20s you’re getting the lower tier of that first round you’re getting guys that are going to be closer to the value of what you can also find in the second round so it’s not like you’re getting you know 25 is not a place where you necessarily pick stars but every once in a while there’s like a David Pastak down there and it it works out you know pretty well um so you have there’s always potential I mean being in the first round being able to probably get you know one of the guys that’s very high on your list um is is a huge value to your scouting staff and then also to your the future of your franchise so no matter who they pick here I think the value is going to be good but in terms of what it looks like you know there you’re not getting the depth of like the 2019 draft and different things where you know we saw a lot more star potential in some of those players I think once you get past the top 14 of this draft there’s a bit of a gap and then there’s the next group and then there’s maybe a little bit more of a gap again and then as you get into the 25 32 range you know you’re talking about negligible difference between the guys that you’re gonna get the bottom of the first round the guys you get in the top of the second round um but in the end the the likelihood of the the player that you pick at 25 becoming an NHL player is a lot higher than the players that you do pick in the mid second the late second um you know early third round so to be back in the first round in any draft is good I think in this draft the way that the board is setting up the Bruins are going to have some really good options to pick guys that fit their profile of player um so I think that that’s the other thing that that is the benefit of of having a first rounder in this year’s draft yeah the last time you were on with us we were talking about Fabian lysel because it was his draft it was um talking about you know who could fall to the Bruins at that pick you know once again in the 20s and uh sure enough you talked about how you thought that he was a good player but people might not have um liked his consistency and then he ends up in Boston and and you were right uh he did fall to them there um this year I have a similar question like is there anyone in the group that you have maybe in the top 20 that you see maybe could fall to a place like Boston at 25 that you know maybe some teams aren’t as high on or there’s consistency issues but that you think it’s a player that could really pan out if they end up in Boston yeah you know there’s there’s a number of players that I’m just very curious to see you know ultimately how high they end up going and you know I think kind of toward at least in the top 20 of of my my list you know the guy that’s that’s 20th is Trevor Connelly which is a play player that’s got a lot of controversy surrounding him this year um you know teams have made uh you know I’ve talked to a lot of teams that won’t draft him um he’s he had some troubles in his past he’s committed to go to Providence you know and he’s been trying to prove to teams that he’s changed and that you know he’s but there’s there there are still there’s still evidence of maturity issues and decision- making on the ice but he you know and if he falls you you have to have that discussion the Bruins obviously have gone through the situation with with Mitchell Miller um this is not that like I don’t I don’t feel like what we’ve seen uh you know Mitchell Miller had there was like a criminal activity that was involved in that whole thing um you know Trevor Connelly hasn’t committed any crimes um but there there are certainly allegations from his past that give people pause and in some incidents and that you know are still kind of floating around there so I think if you’re Boston and you went through the Mitchell Miller experience you might not be willing to do that but I’m just saying the the reason I’m bringing him up is because players like that that have this high high skill and and and incredible potential they’re more likely to be available there and you have to have the discussion because I think he is a top 20 talent and a top 15 Talent on Talent um you know so you have to have that discussion and I wonder where the where the Bruins would fall if he is available there because I think that would be the highest value you could get in terms of Ani’s component um but you know you’re obviously making other decisions so non-controversial um because I don’t know if f is gonna try to go the that route again because it did not go well that was right I just want to bring it up I just want to bring it up because I think that that’s the discussion that teams in this range are going to continue to have um but a guy who’s not in my top 20 but is very close to it is Sasha bav from from the Muskegan Lumberjacks and he is a two-way goalscoring Center um and he’s got some size he’s got a little bit of nastiness to his game he’s just not physically strong yet you know as gets physically stronger he’s going to be a lot more effective in that two-way game he’s a player that I like for Boston in this range if he’s going to be there there’s no guarantee that he will but if he’s going to be around in that range that’s a player that I think fits kind of what they do they’ve obviously had some success drafting out of the USHL in the past um so that’s another guy there there will be a couple of Russians in the range as well you know some teams are going to be letting some of those those second tier Russians that aren’t Ivan demidov or Anton salv be you know options and so like there’s guys like eigor chernishov who’s a highly skilled guy uh Nikita aranov who is another skilled good work ethic kind of player you know those are players that you could potentially get some value and then in terms of defenseman too because I’ve only been bring up forwards guys that I have in that range EJ Emory from the national team development program and Charlie ell both guys are right shot um defensive more more defensive minded but Elite skaters with size and so you think about some of the the things that that Boston could use in their system well they can use pretty much everything right so you’re trying to find those Val I think both of those guys fit the profile of of Bruins players but also have a like have a chance to be there at 25 yeah I I like b m Mount St Charles product um speaking of Rhode Island connections um you mentioned a player that I’m increasingly finding myself falling in love with a bit and that’s Nikita aranov um Chris I don’t know if you look into things like nhle which is a Formula that tries to project you know if a player’s gonna make the NHL or be a star he rates very highly in that formula he’s actually like top five player in the draft and he was playing in the KHL he was playing in Russia’s top pro league and had 23 points in 54 games I saw your write up on him where on Flo hockey where you noted that that puts him seventh all time in the KHL among his age peers so why might he be available at 25 why is he not going higher yeah you know it’s it’s a good question I mean I think that in general the the Russian players are you know they’re they’re they’re making guys a little gun shy he’s under contract until 2025 26 which which isn’t you know that’s that’s a pretty reasonable contract term for a guy he is a late birth date you know so he’s a little bit older um for the draft class you know with with with that as well but you know he’s played the last season under eigor larionov at torpedo and larionov has let his young players he is he is the anti- KHL coach because most KHL coaches do not play Young Players he overplays young players which is awesome and aranov did what you know rewarded him with good shifts he’s got a great work ethic he battles he competes he does all those different things and then he also has that skill level I just think that there is some question even though he produced this year if the if the skill is highend enough for him to be a driver and to be a guy that can do that I have him as a first rounder I think that more projections are putting him in the second round um as an availability there but I think that’s a player to me that quite a bit of value it’s not like he’s terribly under sized or anything like that he’s he’s not six foot so you know I mean like I guess take that for what it’s worth teams are definitely considering that when you look at them versus like an eigor chernishov or a jagor Surin you know that guys that are a little bit bigger uh but I just think that he’s tenacious and and and gives a team a chance with with his shifts because he’s going to provide effort on top of skill this is all great information Chris if the Bruins do indeed utilize that 25th pick to select somebody um obviously this past week the Bruins traded Lena solark to Ottawa who’s a former vzna winner won half of an elite goalie Tandem and I think when you have a fan base um and in a franchise that’s perpetually in win now mode I think Bruins fans are like okay great but a late first round pick is not helping us in this upcoming season and it’s a glorified second round pick and I don’t know if you know totally agree with that’s a little harsh but um I think a lot of people are potentially hoping for a shoe to drop and it’s great that Bruins got back uh first round collateral okay can they try to package that to either move up in the draft this year or maybe package that with some other pieces um to potentially bring in a top Center outside of free agency via a hockey trade how valuable to teams around the league would that 25th overall pick be in a potential package do teams look at that and say um I don’t know like not really or is there much is there much leverage there for the Bruins to use that pick is it really that sought after yeah that’s a good question I mean I think that in general a low first is a sweetener as opposed to a you know more of if you’re going to make an impactful trade you know if you’re going to make a trade that is that is going to materially change your everyday lineup for the better and probably I think if you’re if you are trading a first your preference would be to trade it for somebody that’s going to be there for a little bit um as well so you’re looking for somebody with term those trades are harder to make as well because of you know the the the NHL being what it is um so I think yeah it as part of a package it’s certainly an attractive you know it’s it’s more than a sweetener really it’s it’s you know it’s it is a it is a featured kind of thing and there’s still a lot of value um the the thing about that pick and any pick at the draft is the value dramatically changes to a team not necessarily to the public but to a team based on their board and if they have somebody that they are desperate to get and they have you know you’re you’re but those those trades are hard to do because they have to happen almost in the moment they have to happen within a time period you you probably have an idea going in like the strategy is if Boston is still on the clock or if if if this is still there and Boston is picking we have something that we want to trade we’ll make the call um and I’m sure there are some little preliminary discussions that happen before draft two where it’s like hey you know what what’s it going to take you know to get to get 25 what’s it going to take to get whatever player um and and so you start having those conversations earlier so they don’t really happen you know in that immediate Moment Like There’s work done and leg work done prior to that but you know I think for for NHL teams the the picks that carry the most value are going to be the ones earlier in the draft and the fact of the matter is you have the devils and the and the Sabers that potentially have those big bargaining chips of top 10 picks or top 11 picks um and that obviously you know creates a bit more competition where that 25th overall doesn’t look as enticing for an everyday roster player um but it’s not impossible it’s just I don’t think that that’s the kind of pick that’s GNA fetch you know a top six center or without without something you know significant also attached to it so or or a relative significance attached to it you mean like if they flip it like they’re not gonna flip that for a top six forward is what you’re saying right right if it’s a straight up something else yeah yeah yeah exactly so the possibility of s sorry Bridget the possibility of moving up too is is going to be challenging in this draft as well I I think um you know you wouldn’t be able to get a lot higher I don’t think than you know the later teens or the 20s so yeah well that’s that’s good insight for you know that’s something that you know wasn’t really on our radar because we just found about this uh 25th overall pick a few days ago so like we’ve we’ve been we’ve gone from really not paying much attention to the draft to like all in looking at prospects from the first round uh late first round I have three guys I want to bring up to you you um I’m a hockey East broadcaster so these are three guys that are going to play in hockey East next year they’re all centers and they’re all right in that range of late first round um so I just want to run them by you let me know if you think first of all they’ll still be there what the upside downside is for them and I’m gonna start with one that I know Scott’s gonna like uh which is Cole Hudson who you have projected at 25th he will go to beu to play with uh you know where all his brothers have played uh he’s also undiz just like them so I’d like to get your opinion on Cole Hudson yeah I mean I I really enjoy watching Cole Hudson play you know I I I’m obviously higher on him than I think the industry is I think it’s very unlikely he’s going to go in the first round I think it’s very unlikely that he goes in the early second round even um and it’s because you know the size Factor but the thing that I like about Cole is that he’s a he’s a real competitor um he played his best game I felt the one of his best games of the season in the gold medal game with the under 18 World Championship where where USA ended up losing on three straight Power Play Goals on a major penalty and at five on five he was outstanding and he and EJ emry were playing together and they were you know they were really shutting down Canada’s top players um at even strength and you know I think that his defending has improved it’s not going to be the strong suit of his game because he’s not big so he can’t really impose his will on anybody um but he’s smart and he moves pucks really well and one thing that I think he added this year was a was a true goal scoring component to his game he was able to get deeper into the zone and and make good reads and and score goals that way and so you know he’s he’s the all-time leading scorer at the national team development program among defenseman which is an incredible accomplishment when you consider who all has been there uh he did his point total did drop significantly year-over-year um you know which I think is part it’s it’s a little hard to explain but I mean the the under 18 season can often be the harder year to produce because the you’re playing colleges you’re playing you know a tougher schedule overall um but you know the fact of the matter is he still was a massive Point producer and one of the leading players on his team so I got lots of time for Cole I I think that he’s gonna be a very good college player um you know I think Lane is more dynamic in terms of his skill set but I think Cole has um maybe a and and I say this it’s got to be close because they’re both really competitive I always love I thought Lane’s compete was always undersold uh but I think you know Cole if he might have a little Advantage there uh you know so it’ll be interesting to see how he pans out at college do you have any like pumps for him besides his brother um not I mean not really I I think like you know I think Tory Krug he’s he’s got a little more Tory Krug in him then I think uh you know in that kind of like I’m gonna try I’m gonna get you I’m I’m gonna try to get you uh you know so yeah but I I think maybe that’s maybe that’s another one yeah I’ve I’ve been a big believer in Lane Hudson for a long time like I thought he was a first round Talent the year he got drafted and I you know watching him at beu like I believe in him going to the NHL despite being you know on the so small for defenseman um you know I think he’s gonna I think he’s going to prove to be a first round Talent going forward and I I like Cole as well you know from what I know of him um it just feels to me like the Bruins and and probably a lot of teams but especially the Bruins are shifting away from smaller kind of offensive minded defenseman which you know I on the one hand I I get because you see this formula of teams that have the big physical mobile defenseman everyone’s you know six two or taller so it’s like I get it but I still to me there’s still a place for that that hypers skilled competitive um but undersized defenseman it just it just feels to me like the Bruins aren’t going to be drafting it they they let Tory Krug walk they’re probably letting that grizzli walk I think last year at development Camp it was something like like all but one or two of their defenseman at development Camp were 62 or taller like there’s just been this clear organizational shift yeah and when I saw Lane too in person like when we were leaving the hockey East uh Championship S I also apologize that my cat showed up uh he I forgot to shut the door um this is xes but uh so he was just so small when I saw him I was and I knew he was you know he was only 5’10 I think is what He’s listed at but I’ve seen other places list him at like 5’8 um but yeah I mean it was kind of striking going from an NHL locker room when you talk to Brandon Carlo to going and talking to to Lane Hudson and and presumably Cole in a similar size range yeah and honestly like the whole size thing like it’s the league it’s going that way like they’re just it’s it’s it’s it’s never not been about size but it’s more about it now I feel like you know and seeing both Florida and Vegas went in back-to-back years you know where where they didn’t have many small players like I think Vegas only had one player under six foot and it was Jonathan Maro who won the K Smite and then this past year no defenseman under six feet on Florida that played regularly so just uh that that heavy hockey is still very much playoff hockey speaking speaking of size look at this transition let’s go what I was just gonna say to Scott the other end of comav Dean lerno heading to BC 66 67 Center uh coming out of Canadian prep school so not you know the most traditional draft year path uh everything I read and see is you know it’s gonna be a project it’s going to require patience Chris what’s your what’s your read on him and and do you see him going in the first round yeah I I do see him going in the first round and you know based on would it shock me if the Bruins took him at 25 like honestly not you know like I mean I you know I I I think that there’s a lot of risk in the player you know because he did play at a lower level relative to most players in their draft year did get two games in the USHL um you know I’m gonna be very curious to see how he how he manages the transition to college hockey next year just because it is a major jump from where he played um you know St Andrews College Plays a pretty heavy schedule and they also play a lot of the top prep schools so they’ll play the you know the shatex and the and the the Culver and the you know the teams that you’re familiar with in the US Midwest Prep School area and some of the teams out in uh New York and things like that but um you know it’s going to be a big jump and so the thing that’s really fascinating about okay 66 and a half uh close close enough to seven six7 not obviously not a lot of guys like that you know Tage Thompson clearly is an example for that um but when you’re that big and you have the hands that he does and he has really good hands he’s got a good shot he’s got you know a goal scorers mentality um it goes a long way I mean the big thing that you know Scouts want to see from him they want to see him be more consistently competitive more aggressive uh using his frame even more effectively um and but but I think he’s a mature kid I think there’s a lot to like about him um you know in just kind of his approach and you know I I think for for BC I I would say be patient if you’re an Eagles fan too because I think there’s going to be an adjustment period for him but at that frame you know get it buys you a lot of leeway and it buys you a lot of you know kind of wiggle room to you know to to to struggle and and even even on your worst night you’re impacting the game just because you’re so huge out there so um I I think that that’s gonna be a a player that does go in the first round um especially in the later first round when teams are a little bit more willing to take those swings possibly to a team that’s had multiple first rounders um it’s going to be very interesting to see where he ultimately lands but a very intriguing player one of the more fascinating ones of the draft and I think really fascinating before we let you go here more fascinating in the Boston area because he’s coming to BC but I think that Don Sweeney you know likes to draft players that uh go into those programs because he like BC seems like a good place for him to develop a place that Don Sweeny can trust that he’ll develop the right way because just that’s just how BC works and he can you know go to all the games I see him at Hockey East games all the time so that just seems like you know almost feels like a very natural fit there and I think if he’s available there that that could be a really good option for them because they need size and they need a center so uh Chris we we we we know you have to go so I’m just GNA ask you for a quick one-word answer on this uh Fabian lysel you you you you called him a a top you know top 10 talent in his draft year obviously hasn’t broken through the to the NHL yet uh yes or no he’ll be a top nine forward for the Bruins in the next season or to or at least in the NHL does he have does he break I’m gonna say no okay all right yeah and then the three of us will expand upon that answer after we let you go here I I got time I’ll expand on it I’ll give you I’ll expand on it just because the thing the thing with Fabian is that no one questions the talent the skill you know the the the ability that he has I think it’s really got to come down to between the ears and and finding the way to impact games beyond that and I think that that he’ll show that you know I think in the AHL um you know there’s evidence that there are flashes of that player you can see it you can see it enough the situation is is that he’s not a big guy NHL is a hard heavy game you have to be committed in all elements of the game in order to to make an impact and to get a coach to trust you and I think that’s been his issue post draft really is that you know getting coaches to say I can trust this guy in a lot of different situations um I just think that the threshold is so high to reach the NHL um that it’ll be tougher for him to to do it at a level that is you know top six top nine um you know so my I could you know I could certainly be wrong a big summer for any Prospect can sometimes lead to a significant change in in in game or in size or in you know just you know kind of things click and and also there’s a maturity element to him as well you know once he gets a little bit older and has an understanding hey this isn’t working um you know but it’ll be interesting to see if it does happen I I I’ll I I don’t necessarily know if it’ll be with the Bruins because I think that he was such an offbrand pick for them which I liked I liked it in the moment because let’s take a bet on skill let’s we don’t have enough of that in our organization let’s get a big high skill or a high skill player and I think they did that so I I think he’s he’s he’s a player that is worth being patient on and that’s what I’ll say I think there’s still I still have some belief it’s not as strong as it was in his draft year but I still have some belief and also you know he was a CO year draft guy you know it’s kind of we’ve seen a lot of those players some are Wyatt Johnston some are not you know most are not um you know so that’s just the kind of way it goes but I I’m you know he’s still a fascinating player to me and that skill is so tantalizing you just hope he puts it together I would say he’s fascinating to to most Boston people as well because it’s like he’s teetering it’s like is he coming is he going to be his big savior or a let down or you know and especially since they haven’t drafted in the first round since then it’s kind of all we have to talk about in terms of prospects besides like Patra and Laura who actually you know jumped over him and play now so we will let you go I think I think I think health I think health is a big is a big factor for him too going forward so but yeah absolutely Chris we appreciate um all of your time and enjoy enjoy draft weekend thank you so much hey than really appreciate it really appreciate it all right once again thanks again to Chris Peters for joining us so Bridget and Scott I think we want to stick to what we were talking about with regard to Fabian lysel and obviously I asked Chris if he was going to be if he thinks Fabian will be a top nine forward for the Bruins I also kind of added or just at the NHL level in general at some point and the jury’s ultimately still out and I think that a lot has gone against lysel in the last couple of years he’s had recurring concussion issues and injury issues and that certainly does not help one’s development you combine that with a little bit of immaturity between the ears at times and um a reluctancy to take to coaching as far as learning to not try to do everything yourself and I think he improved at that at points last year but you know at the end of the day it it all adds up to again he’s going to enter a training camp this year where um he has a job to earn and and it doesn’t seem like he’s a favorite right now so I guess we’ll just start there and and and what your expectations could be for the player going forward yeah I think that last thing that Chris said and that you kind of just touched on about you know one summer can change a lot for a young player and I think it really highlights how important this summer is for Fabian lysel like last year you know we we I had him on the podcast you know we talked about it he lost a big chunk of the summer to the concussion issues that ended his season he returned from the he did have another injury late in the season this year upper body not concussion um but he returned from that in the playoffs and Bellon should have a relatively normal summer and I think how much he improves and gets stronger faster of it just how much goes into his training and what he comes back as not necess you know I don’t even know if he’s going to be at development Camp he’s probably graduate out of that but training camp in September when that comes around where he is then is going to be fascinating to see because last year remember like he had kind of a quiet training camp quiet preseason he was one of the earlier cuts which was disappointing everyone was hoping he at least made a serious push to make the team out of camp and he really didn’t so you you definitely want to see that this year like you need to see a real big step like almost a jump forward and see him seriously push for a spot um you know that’s gonna it’s gonna be fascinating to see if he’s done that and if he’s put himself in position to do that yeah and I’m sure we will try to get another interview with him this offseason if we can like we’ll put in for that to see if you know we can have him reflect on last season and the difference the different summer he’s had this year compared to last summer when he you know he kind of told Scott about how difficult it was to recover and and get ready um so you know this could be a really big off season for him first of all try to get bigger uh try to rehab try to work on things that maybe you you know he had talked to Scott about this too like sometimes the the season is stressful and you don’t get to work in all the things you want to because you’re going through games and practice and and then there’s specific spefic things you can find soon in the offseason so um I think it’s interesting too because the offseason whether you know whether he makes a big jump or not we should be able to tell um when preseason starts and the funny thing is we’re we’ve been sitting here uh since pretty much the end of the season saying Bruins are in desperate need of at least one probably two top six forwards and this is a guy who had that upside when he was drafted but he’s not a guy that we really have in the conversation at this point um and that’s just because he hasn’t shown it yet so um I can’t even imagine him being a like a fourth line forward just that doesn’t seem like his fit so like when you asked Brian about the you know is he gonna be a top nine forward in the league and he said no I was like well he’s not going to be a fourth liner probably for for pretty much anyone it doesn’t really work for him so if he makes the NHL it’s gonna have to be in one of those High skilled roles probably a top six role because that’s just what he is he’s not a grinder he’s not he’s not like taking pucks to the boards and and bumping guys up like he’s no he’s a skill player um so when the Bruins are in this position where they they drafted a what is supposed to be a top six forward and he hasn’t panned out to be that quite yet um still in his early 20s but um this would have been a perfect time for him to jump into the roster because there’s a need and there’s an opening yeah yeah and if you’re if you’re one who’s reading between the lines that’s exactly what my question essentially was to Chris was is he going to be an NHL player or not because exactly like you said Bridget that’s kind of the prere is that he’s not going to be a fourth liner right um and you know as you look at the Bruins right now you are looking at a team that yeah there’s opportunity there there’s there’s absolutely opportunity there I mean Jake debrusk is likely gonna walk um just based on kind of gut feelings so there’s a there’s a you know middle six top six Talent right there not just on got feeling either it’s like we from what we’ heard there wasn’t even conversations going on at the end of the season so it’s normally really not a great sign that’s what happened with Tori Krug when he left so and you know we don’t know what Don’s gonna do um less than a week from from from now with free agency you know he’s going to go out there and Scott I think Scott mentioned it last episode like he does have to set aside about 8 million of the salary cap that they have right now for a swim a swimming contract which we know is imminent and so you can’t just go out there and pay for a top Center and pay for a top six wing and then pay for you know two third liners and like it’s you know you you can’t buy an entire all your needs through free agency unfortunately uh with with the fact you have to pay San um so you know could the Bruins go out there and get a top Center potentially and then maybe you know like an Anthony declair and a t foi or something and yeah maybe but you know maybe they go out and get a top Center and a top six wing and in that third line you have openings with Frederick and brazzo and whomever so geeki so um I think I think you mentioned last year lysel is kind of coming back um man the if he doesn’t come into training camp this year and and really impress he’s kind he he’s kind of running running low on uh on not excuses but um valid reasoning I think at this point um at 21 almost 22 years old yeah I guess like you know I never really fully give up on a player like there are players who take jumps at 22 23 even 24 but it does again you need to see progress like he what would be super discouraging to me is if he is quiet again in a couple preseason games in Camp and he doesn’t even come close to making the Final Cuts like that would that’s what would start to get me to think like boy we might really be running out of time here um you know I think if you see progress and he just he puts together a strong Camp preseason but still doesn’t make the team because he’s just too many guys ahead of him like that’s fine you know I’m not gonna panic over that like would I love to see him just grab a job and run with it of course that’s best case scenario for everyone but you know I’m more in the camp of like I just need to see progress like I I’m not expect I don’t think he’s ever going to be a star at this point but can he be a middle six Winger like that to me should still be in play but you need to see him keep taking steps towards it and not Plateau well how how old was Brad Marian when he debuted in the National Hockey League you know I think he was like 23 and so you know I’m not I’m not suggesting to give up on the player if he doesn’t you know make the team this year in Camp I’m just saying to your points SC like if he doesn’t have an impressive Camp I I can’t see why he can’t have an an impressive camp at least and then give the Bruins a tough decision to make and yes like if it’s not this year there’s still time sure but um I I I I do think all our eyes are going to be on him and I think I think he has to own up to to the to to that fact the the thing with you know him aging you know and and not being brought up yet to Boston and say he’s not brought up again next season the issue becomes like with the player in their mind can I go somewhere else where I can play and so then you kind of start to see maybe a little bit of a like a hey maybe can you deal me like you know what I mean like a fracture with where where a player thinks they should be versus a team thinks they should be can kind of get frustrating and different and sometimes you see that um we’ve seen it happen with Bruins prospects in the past um like say like Jack Sona probably falls into that it’s like okay I want to play but uh but the Bruins are playing me and and just guys like that who maybe see themselves differently than an organization does or and or maybe now the the Winnipeg Jets are going to be trading Ruck mordi because he thinks he’s NHL ready they weren’t ready to sign him or guarantee him a pro roster spot and so you know that he’s their top prospect and they’re gonna be trading him I was Scott I I wish you could see the tab that’s open on my computer right now cuz it’s literally it’s literally his name and I was going to bring him up to you guys because because of what you just talked about and look he’s he’s a he’s a he’s a Winger but I mean should the Bruins be you know in on that like again do the Bruins have what other teams want that’s the question yeah you have to at least poke around like you have to see what they’re what they’re looking for and what the package is going to be because that that’s happening fast that’s probably happening before the draft so that’s happening possibly as we speak like or within the next days like I want to like we’re planning on posting this in the morning but like at the same time I’m sitting here going throws could trade their draft pick in the next few hours and then we’re like it doesn’t so maybe we’ll post it yeah it right away yeah because I don’t trust it after all the stuff that it would be the skate pod way wouldn’t it it’ be the skate pod way yeah like 4 4 pm uh when whatever day today is Wednesday yeah like 400 p.m Bruins package 25th overall and in L myself or something like it’s like the entire podcast is gone like useless totally useless yeah I’m posting this right away um so to get now that like we’ve talked about LEL the other part of it like you just mentioned was the the 25th overall pick which was the main conversation we were having with Chris and we did have some some takeaways which like you know we were talking last podcast in the immediate aftermath of the allmark trade where we find out that Bruins get this pick we’re talking about flipping it and I think a lot of fans have that in their mind too like hey maybe they flipped the pick maybe they flipped corpas solo um and Chris kind of put a damper on that saying it’s not going to be as easy because um it first of all teams aren’t as interested in a 25th overall pick so it’s not going to get you a top six forward was what he said and it’s also going to be harder to to trade up in the draft which is I think is something Scott had brought up last podcast so I just want to your thoughts on that because um that seemed like it was a a bigger possibility or at least you know on the table possibility I’m sure it still is but when you understand the difficulty of it um you kind of convince yourself that they probably will be drafting in that 25 spot yeah and and especially because you know when it comes to trading up like a lot of times what happens is you know maybe you move up 10 spots and you give up your first and third to do it or first and second if you’re moving up higher or whatever well the Bruns don’t have a second or third round like their next pick’s not until the fourth round SO trading 25 and a fourth round pick doesn’t really move you up much at all like it teams probably aren’t even GNA pick up the phone on that so in terms of like how the Bruns can move up they just don’t really have a lot of ways to do it you know like maybe they can go up a few spots if there’s one specific player they like and you know they’re worried he not going to fall three more picks or whatever ever but it doesn’t really seem like they have a way to move way up the board like 10 plus picks I mean I think and don’t misconstrue this as me suggesting this but I think in Bruins fans wouldn’t want to hear this but I think the only way because the first round pick the Bruins have is so low in the in the round um the only the only way that you are gonna package a 25th overall pick to a team for a return that is um uh massive I would say or certainly very significant would be if uh probably Meson lorai is in that in that package right because you can’t you’re not gonna get you know a Topline Center let’s say without giving up something that you value extremely high which let’s be honest it’s not the 25th overall pick so I think and because the Bruins don’t really have any other major assets prospects to to speak of I mean Matt potra is another one I mean like again I’m not suggesting to trade La uh Lori or ptra but if the Bruins want to put a package together that’s worth a damn uh it’s probably one of those two in in a first round pick I think that’s just the reality whether Bruins fans W to whether they like that or not doesn’t matter that’s that that’s what it would be you’d have to give to get so if the Bruins want to go that rope I would get used to the the idea of probably one of those names in a package with that first round pick whether it’s now or a future trade deadline or whomever because you know until they get a prospect pipeline that’s that’s really really highend you got few to choose from yeah and that that just feels it feels pretty unlikely to me like it would have to be something that’s really gonna blow them away if you’re throwing you know Lor or Potter into it like I you know like even if if you look like okay trying to T like that would have to be like for you know a a contributor now like a if you’re including those guys get a top two center now and they c yeah you know You’ want someone young that’s like a sure thing that’s yeah and that would first of all your few prospects that you did draft that you did hit on like the only like homegrown guys recently that you have to like hang your hat on they’re gone now right and the pck so then you’re you’re depleting everything even more so I think that you’d have to like that person more like significantly more than you like a free agent that you can sign that’s available like yeah uh and the contract would have to be decent and it would you know it’ have to be like the perfect situation for that to to make sense yeah absolutely and and there’s no there is no um Blockbuster hockey trade that doesn’t come with a Gamble and a risk for both teams involved and you know I think a perfect example is is the Florida Panthers now Matthew kachuck was publicly on his way out of Calgary right so I think but at the end of the day the Panthers won a president’s Trophy and then that summer traded their their highest scoring forward and their top defenseman arguably McKenzie wear for Matthew kachuck um hubo and wear go to Calgary kachuck goes to um you know Florida and then they go to back-to-back cups and obviously win the second one so like there’s a huge Risk by sending not only hubero but especially wear who was your top allaround defenseman to another team and yeah you’re bringing in kachuck was a culture changer but you it’s a gamble it’s a risk so you know it’s again uh I just I would I would go Scott’s sentiment and I think you’re probably there too Bridget which is it’s just unlikely I don’t I don’t think they’re gonna I think they’ll probably end up using that that 25th overall pick now does that change my opinion on the allmark return where you had to eat uh you know three million of Corpus solo yeah it does make me sour a bit on that element of the deal if that was the only way to get a first round pick because I don’t know what a 25th overall pick really does for you this year or next so again we’ll wait and see I’ve been saying that all along if they they end up using the 25th pick um I certainly don’t like the uh the elmark return necessarily because again you didn’t alleviate all the cap space that allmark was uh carrying on your books you you replace that with three million of corpra solo and almost a million of of uh cellic so um yeah I don’t know I’m I’m kind of in a waitand see mode right now but I’m souring on it a little bit here I mean if if you make the pick then really the trade became more about the future than the present because as we said you only freed up in the end like 1.15 or whatever it is we did the math the other day um yeah then it becomes what does that pick become and like that can probably be frustrating for fans who wanted you know everything to be about this offseason freeing up money and going to spend that said like you do still always have to be planning for the future too like you can’t just always be in win now mode um eventually that that runs out like you do have to have prospects you do have to have a next wave you do have to have young Talent young cheap talent to help fill roster holes in the future and you can fill some of those with third fourth round picks and college free agent signings like the Bruins have but you’re mostly getting bottom of the roster guys in those spots like the chance of a third fourth round pick or a college free agent signing turning into top six forward or top four defenseman is pretty slim so you have to be high in the draft to get those kind of players now yeah the the concern with the with the salary cap you know them getting Corpus solo and and hitting their cap and talking about only freeing up just over a million dollars becomes spending power because like one way to make this offseason look like a a Big Win would be you know you make the trade that you have to make you instead of getting nothing for allar you get this maybe you get a prospect you really like maybe in the future the trade looks better because the guy that you drafted just turns out to be a stud and you’re like wow we wouldn’t have had him if we let all Mark play in Boston and leave in free agency after the end of this season so um but if they if they have enough spending power left to add if somehow they can add a Stam Coast or a get so or like one of these big forward names that are free agents this off season that are going to be hard to get because they’re uh especially gel is going to be very hard to get because uh the money he’s gonna uh require that’s going to require to attract him to your team is going to be High um would you still consider this like a big off season a big offseason win does this trade look better to you if it’s like okay no Don swey did what had to do over here and he had a totally separate plan for that free agent forward signing that did not involve a trade I I just have to compartmentalize because overall yes like the offseason could still be a win I guess and I’m just I’m just thinking out loud here I’m wondering why like did the Bruins have to I’m because I’m with you Scott like you have to think about the future as well so I’m not I’m not suggesting not to go after a first round pick but I but but you know in in talking with people you know people corresponding With Us online and just having a couple more days to M it over um I’m wondering why like like allar should have been worth the 25th pick in one for one I’m wondering why you know why did it take bringing on Corpus solo and trading a former vzna winner like to a team that needs number one goalie yeah everybody knows the Bruins have to get rid of one of the goalies but Ottawa needed a goalie um and I’ve seen people say that you know the Bruin should have gotten a and I think you you also said this Scott like the Bruin should have gotten at least a second round pick or something just to take on Corpus Solo’s contract so I’m just wondering why the Red Wings the the Red Wings just dumped Jake wallman’s contract to San Jose and had to throw in a second round pick for San Jose to do it and got nothing in return it was just a straight contract dump so it’s like okay so just dumping Corpus solo alone was a second round pick that’s the going rate for dumping a contract right so put throwing in lenus elar who won the vzan in two years only upgraded you from a second rounder to 25th overall like that that’s all that’s the only upgrade he was worth it’s it it just seems kind of crazy to me and and that and that that that criticism on a return especially now that I’m convincing myself through talking with you guys and Chris that the Bruins are going to use a 25th pick you know that return it’s like I think it’s fair to question sween’s negotiation um ability there to get strong armed by by by Ottawa um I think it’s fair I absolutely think it’s fair because allmark was the best NHL player in the deal um obviously um now the Senators got his rights for one year and and I believe that the sentiment is that allar is willing to play out his contract so I don’t think it’s a guarantee that he’s going to sign an extension with Ottawa so that’s a gamble for them and also allar hasn’t played um you know he’s been splitting time with Swan right so if you’re the Senators you’re like okay is he is he going to be a uh how’s his play G to be when he has a true number one workload um so there’s questions from ‘s perspective but but still I I I think that like yeah I I I definitely think the Bruins should have gotten a first round pick but it’s it’s the corpor solid piece to me that makes no sense and if it’s because the Bruins wanted Corpus solo because they wanted like a a veteran backup that they can fix that’s to me as opposed to busy to me that’s a total misjudgment and that is and that is where I just philosophically disagree with them they didn’t want corpal like they’re gonna say they did because obviously they they have to like he’s here you can’t Don can’t go in front of the media and be like well yeah we didn’t want him but I guess we had to take him so they’re gonna say it and some people will will spin it that way want so then he got so then he got strong armed then he got out negotiated he got Bluff was called more than the than otta was and to me that’s where I think criticism is fair because I think I think it’s very simple I think it’s it’s very simple to look Ottawa in the eyes and say you guys want a number one goalie or not do you want a number one goalie or do you not and as opposed to Ottawa being like do you want to unload allmark or not like I think the Bruins had the leverage or they should have had the leverage and so um I just think it’s fair to question why Sweeney got strong armed and not um otwa I’m blanking under who their GM is Steve stos St stos thank you I think it’s his first off year yeah his first offseason it’s like oh everybody’s talking about oh Ste stos is g to win his first deal why does it have to come at the expense of Sweeney it’s like I think that that is fair to question why the Bruins ended up being on the low ground in negotiating instead of Ottawa when Ottawa needs a number one goalie it’s very simple in my mind the the answer is the contract like the the answer is the oneye contract like andark seeming to want to be able to make his own decision about where he goes in the offseason next year um so like himark being in control um and kind it kind of forced their hand to have a less a deal that was worth less like than if he had two years or if he was willing to sign an extension but they had two first round picks right so it’s like okay fine so we’re gonna take 25 not seven overall you know what I mean like like it’s the corpal solo piece to me that makes no sense like allmark for 25 which is everybody as everybody keeps saying is like kind of a it’s kind of a glorified second round pick that’s that seems pretty legit like I don’t see what how who’s losing there so the the the thing with the Corp pasalo piece is just that clearly Boston sees something in him and doesn’t think it’s like a complete you know dump like a contract dump on onto them otherwise they wouldn’t have taken it on in the first place so there’s a lot of risk involved in in Boston’s side of the deal because you have to make use of the draft pick the right way and you have to be able to rehabilitate the goalie and those are two things that nobody knows if if those are going to work out for Boston’s favor so then you’re left with okay because there’s still so much uncertainty left on those two things which we will know one of the answers you know we’ll know who they draft we won’t know if they turn out to be anything for years we might not know what’s gonna happen with Corp pasalo even after one season like he’s still got three years left on his deal it’s going to be a long time before we know whether or not this in hindsight is actually good but I think to bring it back to what Scott said it was a move for the future because like if we’re we’re not going to see we’re not going to see the rewards of coroso being rehabilitated this season like he’s not helping you win a cup this season the draft pick isn’t helping you win a cup this season um yeah so that’s why it’s a that’s why it’s a something of the future and not not to like Leave Out cast toic but he’s a depth forward and you know maybe he’s a a piece that you use in the playoffs or what not but he’s not single-handedly making your chance of winning the cup better this year either so this is all going to be determined in the future and which is what’s frustrating about it because people wanted a player they could watch now help the team now yeah I we like barely talked about C in the last episode I know we touched on him obviously I do think people are gonna like watching him like I do think people are G to like his game he he’s a fourth liner so as you said he’s not you know a make or break player but he’s very physical he’ll drop the gloves he’s really good on face offs he’s 56% in his career and he and he has some speed it’s weird it’s like I saw like some some people saying like oh he’s you know just kind of like a lumbering fourth liner and that’s really not accurate he the senators in 2023 held like their own team skills competition for in front of season ticket holders and he won the fastest skater and not that the Senators are like one of the fastest teams in the league but if you’re the fastest skater on an NHL team you’ve got some pretty decent wheels so actually think he does fill some needs in the bottom six and you know as it relates to free agency coming up it might mean Pat maron’s not back like they bring some of the same stuff in terms of as I mentioned the physicality willing to drop the gloves stick up for teammates all that um cic’s 11 years younger and much faster so we all saw as much as everyone loves Pat maroon how slow he is at this point in his career um and I also the money aspect of it I also wonder if Danton Heinen’s definitely gone now because I figure it probably takes two to three million to keep him he definitely played himself into a nice raise over league minimum probably at least doubling that um not saving as much money in the alar trade as as I think we all thought they were going to like that that might mean you can’t spend two million on dant Heinen you know especially because you have holes higher in the lineup that you have to fill with more expensive players I also see Dan Heinen as potentially being a guy that could take a Team friendly deal because he just wants to be like this might be where he wants to be and not really want to be anywhere else um obviously money talks but um when you’re when you found a fit here that you like and you feel like you’re getting the playing time rather than being a guy that’s like in and out of the lineup somewhere else but you’re getting paid more like you you know you have decent like um ice time here maybe you take a Team friendly deal because you like your situation rather than because you want to go for as much money as you can go for so that’s just a possibility too now there’s one thing we if we are done talking about this whole Prospect trade all of it I know Brian wanted to talk about something that he just tweeted about uh right before we started filming this so Brian it’s an exciting time because exciting Time new jerseys are coming out logos so it’s your fashion segment here we go well I think it’s our fashion segment because I think the world wins here I think the world wins um you know I think ultimately what happened is um Adidas has been taken over by Fanatics for the NHL jersey supplier so they rolled out there you know um whatever all 32 teams as jerseys whatever everybody’s staying the same except for two which is the Kings and they went back to essentially more or less like the the Wayne Gretzky era uh La King’s uniforms I think the striping is the same the logo is more or less the same a little bit you know little bit Bolder whatever different Crown in the inside but to the naked eye it’s the same and then obviously um which I think is a huge huge win I know a lot of people like the um the purple and yellow Kings jerse is of the 60s and 70s which I also love but um I think those 90s Throwbacks are also fantastic I think it’s I think it’s a win-win either one of those I think is phenomenal um and then the Ducks are essentially um the muddy Ducks again they’ve reverted back to their um 90s muddy Duck uniforms the only difference which is a big difference but it’s that it’s in their current modern colors of orange gold and black as opposed to um purple teal and white which that is like the ultimate we all want that but I think being realistic we knew that wasn’t going to happen and I think with the current colors being what they are these are the best jerseys they could have possibly rolled out so um and as it pertains to the Bruins they are officially going back to their pre Centennial season jerseys um I think that I’m not alone I think a lot of people are craving for the Bruins to go back to the Bor Neely ER uniforms with maybe a slight modification but like that’s more or less what people want um everybody everybody loved the Centennial season logos um it was just the the gold I think that kind of uh bothered me and a lot of people but the Bruins are back to those jerseys yeah the sparkly gold was it’s it’s a no for me dog um but the Bruins have gone back to their pre their pre Centennial jerseys and I think that um because of the roll over to Fanatics um you had like the Kings and Ducks have working on these jerseys for a couple couple of years so um they got grandfathered in I’m not saying the Bruins if the Bruins change their uniforms it might just be another year or two from now if they change them at all um so that those are kind of the updates on on the NHL uh uniforms and fashion segment uh is commenced and I will throw it over to you guys yeah most importantly on the Ducks jerseys orange now is the primary color not black so love that just love seeing orange as a primary color does not a lot of that in sports um so yeah that’s like yeah like everyone I want to see purple and teal but that this really feels like the next best thing it’s C it’s certainly the best they’ve had since the purple and teal um on the Bruins I I did see so Greg wasinski reported that uh Fanatics is going to be rolling out a lot of new jerseys next year um you know obviously this probably hard for them like you said Kings and Ducks were already working on theirs kind of hard to do you know in your first summer taking over first year taking over so I do wonder if the Bruins are part of that next year potentially if they’re gonna go back to something like the the Bor era it did feel like though you know after the oneoff Centennial year like that would have been kind of the natural place to change things if um if they were going to but but instead it’s just back to basically exactly what they had uh pre Centennial I usually let you guys handle this uh I did see the video I was gonna say yeah how about Brad marand rolling them out this was my this was my takeaway from the Bruins video that they released it was Brad Marshon saying damn I look good in this Centennial Jersey but then he has to take it off and then he’s such a good actor and he puts the next one on for this upcoming season he says damn I still look good so uh great great acting I think he has a career ahead of him uh maybe maybe in La maybe in Broadway um Hollywood you know he could he could be a star uh we lost Brian I believe but uh I’m being a little bit sarcastic was a video we gotta get him in like a in you know Ben Affleck or Matt Damon movie or something like is there I think there’s a Boston movie coming this summer on Apple TV or something gotta get him in something like that well no there’s a there’s a uh a series coming out that follows NHL players like a lot of the star NHL players coming up this season and it’s gonna follow poock and San as two of the um two of the players I forget what it’s on is it HBO is it I don’t know uh yeah I don’t know I forget here we go wait watch this oh we’re gonna have two BRS um we pushed my luck with the Wi-Fi I mean we did I gave it I gave it an hour you know it’s okay I think we finished talking about fashion so oh we lost him again wow what a strong finish I’m I’m gonna throw I’m gonna throw out one more Prospect to wrap up that’ll be my final thought didn’t get a chance to mention them to to Chris but jet luchenko uh Center possibly a wing um play for G and actually took over their Top Line Center rle because Matt ptra made the Bruins out of camp and ended up having a really productive season uh 74 points in 68 games which is actually more productive than Potter was in in his draft year but some similarities like 5 foot 11 so you know not the biggest guy passed first um but just considered like a really smart two-way player who makes a lot of good decisions High hockey IQ um you know I wonder if the obviously the Bruins had success drafting out a g two years ago and like the way Patra developed there so I wonder if they’d go back because of that familiarity or because it’s maybe somewhat of a similar profile do you stay away um and you know look for a different kind of player but he’s Pro he’s projected to go right in that range around 25 how big is he 5 foot 11 okay so he’s not like a he’s not that’s right around what ptra is I believe you know he’s he’s similar size um that’d be interesting I mean yeah you you kind of wonder about redundancy but um hey if you if you want a skilled Center I mean if you think about what the Bruns have had at Center at their top two centers for the last so long uh berson and cier are both you know they’re not the same but they’re both really high skilled they’re not they were neither of them were huge like we were talking about with lero like we’re I don’t see why why not take a look at him but um yeah by the way Brian said uh finish without him because he can’t he can’t do the Wi-Fi so we almost made it um La last thing I’ll say actually since we’re talking about centers I’ve seen a couple people say like they shouldn’t do what they did with beer and just draft a center because they need a Senter I actually don’t think like this is similar at all because I think there’s going to be centers ranked right around there projected around there I think there’s going to be several of them who will still be available so if they take one of those guys like that’s not that’s not going to be a reach just because of need like I actually think it lines up where there’s going to be some pretty good options at center around 25 um yet if there’s you know if there’s a defenseman or a Winger who is who you like more and and just has higher upside and all that like by all means take take the best player available but yeah there’s a decent chance like it could be a center that’s on the top of their board when they get there exactly there’s a lot of centers available right at right in that range um and if you really like someone that that other people aren’t as high on that’s in the early second round like go for it because you don’t have a second round pick to wait around and see if anyone Falls to you no one’s falling to you that you like in that range you know uh where you have your next draft pick which is in the fourth round so if you like a guy you have one chance uh so uh but go for going for best available usually the way to go uh very few times I mean unless you’re gonna unless you really have the scouting to back up a choice that you really believe in that maybe other people didn’t see but anyway uh that was a good podcast I feel I feel like we have a better grasp on what might be coming in the draft so uh that is on Friday and continues into Saturday will also uh record hopefully Saturday night and and put something up Sunday morning reacting to the draft so that’s you know we have we’ve had a busier week than expected and more to talk about than expected yeah I mean we knew it was all gonna happen this week and and early next week like there’s that there’s that Gap after the season ends where other than just watching the rest of the playoffs play out not a whole lot happens um and then everything happens right in this one week week and a half crunch period yeah that’s why we got to take our vacation before that I timed it out okay I think I me I wish I didn’t go but uh anyway I think we’re we’re good to wrap it up right Scott yep if people missed Bridget’s vacation Horror Story That’s at the end of the previous episode yes it is yes I should have stayed home all right well I will sign off we will talk to you again uh right after the draft so we’ll see you then hey guys thanks for watching this gate podcast if you want to see more of our videos visit our playlist not in front of a screen you can listen to us on Spotify Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast don’t forget to follow us on social media and if you enjoyed this video please don’t forget to give us a thumbs up subscribe to our Channel and leave a comment

We are joined by NHL draft specialist guest Chris Peters to discuss players the Bruins may look to target at pick No. 25. We discuss center options in the draft, players to stay away from and if Fabian Lysell is a bust. Have our opinions changed about the return for Linus Ullmark? Plus, new jersey designs are out which means it’s time for another fashion segment!

Leave your questions in the comments and we will answer as many as we can!

Jump to:
00:00 – Guest Chris Peters lists Bruins draft options at pick No. 25
24:21 – Is Fabian Lysell likely to be a bust?

Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

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